Nitin Ganatra - who plays Masood Masood on 'Eastenders' - has revealed that the Masoods are set to face a "very upsetting" storyline over the next few months, and then all the way up to Christmas

'EastEnders' actor Nitin Ganatra says the Masood family are to be affected by a "very upsetting" storyline.

The 47-year-old star - who plays Masood Masood on the BBC One soap - has confessed his on-screen family are set to face "something big" over the next few months, and then all the way up to Christmas.

He said: "We're building up to something big that will be on screen in a couple of months' time. It's the first time I've ever got weepy reading a script and it gives me goose pimples just talking about it.

"It's a very upsetting storyline. Really sad - but full of heart."

In recent episodes Masood has been beginning to track down his long-lost granddaughter, after finding out that his daughter Shabnam - who just got engaged to market trader Kush Kazemi - gave her baby up for adoption five years ago.

However, disaster is set to strike in the run-up to his daughter's wedding.

Nitin told Radio Times magazine: "It's going to be a fun build-up to the wedding. There are rumours of [Kush's mum] Carmel and Masood getting it on and there's a lot of comedy. And then we're going to pull the rug out from under you.

"The aftermath of this will run all the way up to Christmas and I'm really excited at the thought of flexing my acting muscles."

Nitin added that he doesn't think Masood's estranged wife Zainab and son Syed will be returning for Shabnam's nuptials.

He said: "There are no plans to bring Zainab back. And I know that Syed isn't returning. But it's going to be a quiet occasion, the opposite to Syed and Amira's wedding.

"So it doesn't look like there'll be a family reunion, but who knows? Things change at the last minute in this place."